Tool



May 13, 1941. H. w. LARSON I TOOL Filed July 12, 1959 lA/VLWTOR H. Winsomy W ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1941 TOOL Homer W. Larson, Downers Grove, 111., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application July 12, 1939, Serial No. 283,922

3 Claims.

This invention relates to tools and more particularly to wrenches for driving screws having non-slotted heads by means of a screw driver blade.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple and practical wrench for driving screws having non-slotted heads by means of a screw driver blade.

In one embodiment of the invention for driving hexagonally headed screws by the use of a screw driver blade, which may be either of the manual or power type, there-is provided an apertured body member which is tapered at one end and has a flange at its opposite end, the inner periphery of the apertured body member at its tapered end being in the form of a hexagonal socket for receiving a hexagonally shaped screw head. Fixed in the apertured body memher is an insert having a slot for operatively receiving a screw driver blade. The operator in using the wrench engages the hexagonal socket with the hexagonally headed screw and engages the screw driver blade in the slot of the insert, the wrench being grasped by the knurled flanged end to steady it during the driving of the screw. In some cases it may be found desirable to provide a handle which is freely rotatable on the body member at the inner face of the flange thereof and retained in position by a collar.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a wrench embodying the features of this invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are bottom and top plan views of the wrench shown in Fig. 1, the handle being shown fragmentarily in broken outline, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing wherein an embodiment of the invention is shown which is particularly adapted for driving hexagonally headed screws by means of a power screw driver, the numeral l indicates a body member which is of circular cross-section throughout and provided with a central shouldered aperture ll extending longitudinally therethrough. At its lower end as viewed in the drawing, the member ID is tapered and formed in the lower portion of the aperture H below a shoulder I2 is a hexagonal socket l3 for receiving a similar shaped screw head M (Fig. 4). The tapered lower end of the member is provided for clearance purposes to facilitate the positioning of the socket over a screw head. Fixed to the member ID within the aperture ll thereof and abutting at its lower end face the shoulder I2 is a cylindrical insert IS, the insert being secured to the member by a pin IS. The upper face of the insert I5 is provided with a laterally extending slot I! for receiving the bit of a screw driver blade I8, (Fig. 4). It will be noted that the portion of the aperture ll above the slot ll is of suflicient length that the blade I 8, which closely fits the aperture, but which may be freely entered therein, will be suitably axially supported. At its upper end the member I0 is formed with a flange I9 which is peripherally knurled as shown at 20 (Fig. 1). Freely rotatable on the body member l0 below the flange I9 is a laterally extending arm 2| carrying at its free outer end a handle 22. A collar 23 arranged below the arm and fixed to the body member ID by a set screw 24 serves to retain the arm 2| in position.

In driving hexagonally headed screws into position, the wrench may be used either with or without the handle 22 thereon. In some cases the operator may find it more convenient to hold the wrench at a point removed from the body member ID and at other times by merely grasping the knurled flange [9 directly in his hand. This may be influenced by the driving speed of the screw driver blade 18. If the blade is power driven it may, for safety reasons, be desirable to use the handle 22, while in the case of using a manually operated blade the handle may be dispensed with. The wrench may also be used manually without a screw driver for driving hexagonally headed screws.

From the above description, it is believed that the manner of using the wrench to drive screws having non-slotted non-circular heads by means of a screw driver blade is understood and needs no further description. The wrench embodying the features of this invention, it will be apparent, permits an operator to efiiciently drive two types of screws either of the same size or of different sizes and having different types of heads by means of a screw driver either of the manual or power type.

While the features of this invention have been disclosed in a specific structure for use with a particular type of non-slotted screw head, it is, of course, understood that modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrench for use in driving screws having non-slotted heads by means of a screw driver blade comprising a tubular-like body member having its inner periphery at one end formed to provide a socket portion for engaging peripheral faces of non-circular screw heads, the inner periphery at its opposite end portion being circular and a slotted circular insert fixed within said body member between the opposite ends of its inner periphery for operatively receiving in the slot a screw driver blade, said opposite end portion extending from said slotted insert for such a distance that it i effective to axially support and guide the blade into operative engagement in the slot. 7

2. A wrench for use in driving screws having non-slotted beads by means of a screw driver blade comprising a body member of circular cross-section havingan aperture extending longitudinally therethrough, the aperture having a socket portion at one end for engaging peripheral faces of non-circular screw heads, the body member being tapered at its socket end, the opposite end thereof having a flange, an insert fixed Within the aperture and provided with a slot in an end face spaced from the flange thereof whereby the wall of the aperture serves to guide a screw driver blade into operative engagement in the slot, a laterally extending handle freely rotatable on the body member and arranged adjacent the inner face of the flange, and a collar fixed to the body member for retaining said handle thereon.

3. A wrench for use in driving screws having non-slotted heads by means of a screw driver blade comprising a body member of circular cross-section having an aperture extending longitudinally therethrough, the aperture having a socket portion at one end for engaging peripheral faces of non-circular screw heads, the opposite end'of the body member having a flange, slotted means fixed to said body member and arranged within the aperture thereof between the socket portion and the Opposite end portion for operatively receiving in the slot a screw driver blade,

a laterally extending handle freely rotatable on the body member adjacent the inner face of the flange, and means for retaining said handle in operative position on the body member.

HOMER W. LARSON. 

